Danny Frawley
richmondfc.com.au
10:25:59 AM Thu 24 April, 2003
As , I can't speak highly enough of the courage displayed by Matthew Richardson in returning to our team less than two weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured cheekbone.
What people sometimes don't understand -- or appreciate -- is that Australian Football is a collision sport and, when you get hurt in a collision like Matthew did in the Round 2 clash with the Western Bulldogs at Telstra Dome, you tend to shy away from the contest.
But that's not the case with Matthew.
His desire to represent the Richmond Football Club on the 'field of battle' is tremendous, and an inspiration to all his teammates.
Matthew's ability to return from injuries so quickly -- not just with the fractured cheekbone -- is amazing.
When you look at his career, he's been able to come back from a total knee reconstruction, a broken arm and a serious foot injury that some felt might have been career-threatening.
He's certainly had his fair share of injuries and, hopefully, he won't get too many more. But his capacity to back-up and keep coming in, really wanting to do it for his teammates, is something that is definitely not taken for granted here at Tigerland.
Unfortunately, and unfairly too, there's also a tendency for people to dwell on some of the things Matthew mightn't do as well during a match. But as far as I'm concerned, the strengths he adds to our team are enormous.
In Matthew's 'comeback' match against St Kilda at Telstra Dome in Round 4, he just kept leading and presenting himself as a target for teammates. Early on, he was a little bit scratchy, which was to be expected, but as the game wore on, he really did come into his own. He kicked two goals and created plenty of opportunities for teammates to score. His non-stop running opened up valuable space in the forward line.
Make no mistake, there are going to be days where it will be Matthew's turn to kick a bag of goals. But we want to make sure that we spread the load around more, which has been happening early on this season.
That takes a hell of a lot of pressure off Matty. It's great that he can go out and play his natural game without having the pressure of the grandstand on him, hanging off every kick he has. He no longer has to kick six or seven goals for us to win games -- and that's a big plus for him as an individual, and us as a team.
The important factor is, he's a major contributor for us whether he's kicking the goals himself or setting them up for other Richmond players through his all-round football and athletic skills.
Matthew's fierce determination to succeed can occasionally be taken out of context by those watching him in action. To them, it might seem as though his body language is bad, but those that know him well can vouch for the fact that he is just so strongly motivated to perform well for his beloved Tigers. When that doesn't happen he can be pretty hard on himself, but that's just his intensely competitive spirit coming through -- he hates seeing Richmond get beaten.
He's got a lot of history at the Club, with his father and uncle having played here, and he wants to be remembered as a player who gave his all at Punt Road.
In my opinion, there can be absolutely no doubting his commitment to the Tiger cause. His desire to get back out there after his fractured cheekbone, has given our whole playing group a real boost. He's shown fine leadership qualities over the past couple of weeks with the way he's gone about his rehab. and recovery and it's provided our young players, in particular, with a real filip.
Matthew's now 27 years old, and into his 11th season as a league player, but I believe he's still learning his craft. For a while now I've felt that he'll play his best football when he gets closer to 30. Given what he's already achieved throughout his playing career, that's an exciting prospect indeed for Tiger fans to contemplate. Regardless, anyone who appreciates team sport should recognise just how valuable Matthew Richardson is to the Richmond Football Club . . .
richmondfc.com.au
10:25:59 AM Thu 24 April, 2003
As , I can't speak highly enough of the courage displayed by Matthew Richardson in returning to our team less than two weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured cheekbone.
What people sometimes don't understand -- or appreciate -- is that Australian Football is a collision sport and, when you get hurt in a collision like Matthew did in the Round 2 clash with the Western Bulldogs at Telstra Dome, you tend to shy away from the contest.
But that's not the case with Matthew.
His desire to represent the Richmond Football Club on the 'field of battle' is tremendous, and an inspiration to all his teammates.
Matthew's ability to return from injuries so quickly -- not just with the fractured cheekbone -- is amazing.
When you look at his career, he's been able to come back from a total knee reconstruction, a broken arm and a serious foot injury that some felt might have been career-threatening.
He's certainly had his fair share of injuries and, hopefully, he won't get too many more. But his capacity to back-up and keep coming in, really wanting to do it for his teammates, is something that is definitely not taken for granted here at Tigerland.
Unfortunately, and unfairly too, there's also a tendency for people to dwell on some of the things Matthew mightn't do as well during a match. But as far as I'm concerned, the strengths he adds to our team are enormous.
In Matthew's 'comeback' match against St Kilda at Telstra Dome in Round 4, he just kept leading and presenting himself as a target for teammates. Early on, he was a little bit scratchy, which was to be expected, but as the game wore on, he really did come into his own. He kicked two goals and created plenty of opportunities for teammates to score. His non-stop running opened up valuable space in the forward line.
Make no mistake, there are going to be days where it will be Matthew's turn to kick a bag of goals. But we want to make sure that we spread the load around more, which has been happening early on this season.
That takes a hell of a lot of pressure off Matty. It's great that he can go out and play his natural game without having the pressure of the grandstand on him, hanging off every kick he has. He no longer has to kick six or seven goals for us to win games -- and that's a big plus for him as an individual, and us as a team.
The important factor is, he's a major contributor for us whether he's kicking the goals himself or setting them up for other Richmond players through his all-round football and athletic skills.
Matthew's fierce determination to succeed can occasionally be taken out of context by those watching him in action. To them, it might seem as though his body language is bad, but those that know him well can vouch for the fact that he is just so strongly motivated to perform well for his beloved Tigers. When that doesn't happen he can be pretty hard on himself, but that's just his intensely competitive spirit coming through -- he hates seeing Richmond get beaten.
He's got a lot of history at the Club, with his father and uncle having played here, and he wants to be remembered as a player who gave his all at Punt Road.
In my opinion, there can be absolutely no doubting his commitment to the Tiger cause. His desire to get back out there after his fractured cheekbone, has given our whole playing group a real boost. He's shown fine leadership qualities over the past couple of weeks with the way he's gone about his rehab. and recovery and it's provided our young players, in particular, with a real filip.
Matthew's now 27 years old, and into his 11th season as a league player, but I believe he's still learning his craft. For a while now I've felt that he'll play his best football when he gets closer to 30. Given what he's already achieved throughout his playing career, that's an exciting prospect indeed for Tiger fans to contemplate. Regardless, anyone who appreciates team sport should recognise just how valuable Matthew Richardson is to the Richmond Football Club . . .
